Being Alive
by NyxisNox
Summary: When you can be what few dare to dream, how do you live a "normal" life or even, God forbid, find love? Can you? As elite members of the C.L.O.W. paranormal defense squad, Sakura and Li are learning that it's harder than it looks.AU LixSakura
1. Another Day

A/N: Hey everyone Nyx here to welcome you all to my first entry to FF. net . While it's not the first thing I've ever written, it is the first fanfic so I ask for kindness and helpful comments in reviews. This fic was a request from a good friend of mine (see I did it so be happy!) so if you like it you can thank her for it. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I own nothing and no one. Card Captor Characters do not belong to me.

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**Ch 1. Another Day**

Snow drifted through the open window in gentle icy sheets and blanketed the floors. It was cold, very cold but she was burning. She clawed at her skin as the fire blazed beneath the surface. She couldn't move, couldn't breath.

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Sakura Kinomoto fell out of bed with a thud. She opened her eyes slowly and looked around, trying to comprehend her surroundings. It took her a moment – then two- eventually she became aware that she was in her room. She sat up and glanced around, now where was that alarm clock? Panning the room, her eyes locked with the glowing red numbers. 4:30 am. … … What!? A scream of frustration shook the walls as a very angry brunette launched the clock through the open window. The machine turned and mocked her one last time before falling three stories to the ground below. A moment of silence preceded a satisfying crunch; more silence. Sakura smiled in satisfaction, and was about to flop back down onto her bed before a small voice broke the calm.

"Ne Sakura, if you keep going through clocks like that we'll be broke."

Sakura turned to face the tiny yellow head that poked out from her laundry basket. She was quiet for a moment and studied the grumpy little face of her partner as he watched her intently.

"It has nothing to do with _we_, you're just worried I'll cut back on your sweets." She huffed before turning her back on him and going to the dresser.

She was up now and work was in three hours, there was no point in going back to sleep. Sitting down in the chair, she looked into the mirror on her dresser and took in her appearance. Her short brown hair was frumpy and tangled, and she'd have bags under her eyes in the morning, she could see them coming. Her head fell forward against the desk, and another sigh left her. These nightmares came and went, but they were becoming more and more frequent lately.

It was always the same: she was in her house, there was snow and blood everywhere. Then the pain would start. That searing fire that made her tear at herself in hopes of alleviating some of the pressure, it never worked. She would thrash and thrash until she saw it, the body. A mangled corpse in a heap of blood and snow a few feet away, and she could never see who it was. The one time she had managed to get close enough, the dream had ended. No matter what she did, the dream would play out the same way. Once it started, she lost all control and could only watch it happen. She hated that dream.

A small weight settled on her shoulder and brushed against her cheek. In the mirror, Sakura could see the sad eyes of her companion boring into her own. She could make out the faintest shimmer around his eyes in the moonlight. Was he crying?

"Sakura," he said gravely. "To murder an innocent clock is one thing, but to threaten my sweets is just too cruel."

If she wasn't so tired, she would have laughed. What a dramatic little bear thing he was, and she never could tell if he was serious or not. "Cruel huh, to you or the sweets?"

"Both! What good is a sweet that cannot be eaten, and even worse, how can _I _possibly function without them? It's like taking my blood away!"

At the word blood Sakura's mind was invaded by images from her nightmare, causing her to shiver involuntarily. She put her head back down, hoping that it went unnoticed. The small paws on her head told her she had no such luck. She didn't need to see him. She could imagine the little black eyes glinting with true worry in the moonlight as he studied her. It hadn't been the first time.

"Was it the same dream again?" He asked quietly as he stroked her hair.

"It isn't a dream Kero it's a nightmare, but yes it was the same."

He moved to rest all of his weight against her head, and she felt a sigh rake through his body.

"I'm sorry Sakura, dreams are things I cannot protect you from."

"It isn't your job to protect me,"

"Yes it is- ouch!" Kero held his head where she had flicked it. Glaring at her silently.

"Don't interrupt. It isn't your job to protect me from dreams, Kero. They can't actually hurt me anyway."

"Sometimes dreams hurt us more than we know, and I don't like seeing you hurt Sakura; it happens too much already. I just wish there was more I could do."

Sitting back up, Sakura plucked him from her shoulder and held him to her. Kero could whine, but he was such a faithful partner. She made a mental note to buy him some candy in the morning. "You're here when I wake up, and that's more than enough for me."

---

Three hours later Sakura found herself in a coffee shop not too far from her apartment, staring at a manila folder that she'd received at headquarters yesterday. She wasn't afraid to open it; she'd spent the last few years of her life doing jobs like this. Fear was not the problem, the problem was that she had been awake for four hours now and was in desperate need of a little caffeine. As if on cue, the waitress came with a large mug of black coffee and a bagel. It took all of Sakura's patience to wait as the girl placed everything on the table before she scooped up the mug and took a long sip. "_Oooooooh yeaaaaah_, that's the stuff." She mumbled contently. Feeling the warmth slip into her slowly, Sakura turned her attention back to the folder and flipped it open. The orders were simple: Some of her peers had been tracking a collection of dark energy that had lead back to a construction sight near her location. She had to enter the sight and find the source. Fine, she could handle that. It didn't explain why she had to do this so freaking early, but she would do it nonetheless. She placed the folder back into the messenger bag from whence it came, along with the bagel and prepared for the job with slow sips of coffee while listening to the inconspicuous munching of Kero having his breakfast.

Soon enough (or maybe too soon in Sakura's opinion, Kero had way too much energy) it was time to get going, and the pair set out for work. They found the place easily enough. The construction sight seemed to be the only building on the street that people had touched in years. The entire area seemed to be completely abandoned.

"Hey!" Well maybe not completely. Sakura turned around to see a greasy looking man standing behind her. He eyed her up and down before grinning like a sleazy fool. Gross.

"You lost girlie? This ain't a place for little chickies like you, ya might get hurt."

Awww, and he was cliché too? How disgusting. Sakura was honestly beginning to think that if she had a nickel for every time she'd heard some thug say that, she wouldn't need her job. Choosing to ignore the tall ball of dirt at her back, Sakura moved forward and headed for the entrance of the sight. Her target was somewhere inside, not here. Thug No. 1 was not pleased with this idea and began run after her.

"You deaf or somethin? Don't ignore me bitch!" He yelled in fury. He reached out to yank her hair, and was about to laugh triumphantly when he realized he'd never made contact. _What the hell?_ Taking another swipe at her, he watched in fear and amazement as his hand passed right through her. Fear shook him to the core, and the man stopped in his tracks, staring at his hand. He looked up just in time to see the girl disappear into the half-made building before him, never looking back once. Was it…a ghost? The thug waited in silence but received no answer.

"I gotta stop drinkin' in the mornin."

Inside the construction sight, Sakura laughed quietly to herself. She loved doing things like that. The reaction was always the same and it never failed to amuse her. A loud snapping sound from above cut her mirth short. Sakura looked up to see a dark fog running along the ceiling. She felt a small movement from her bag before seeing her partner float up next to her with half of a bagel in his paws.

"Well well, this must be the place." He commented offhandedly before taking another bite. Sakura rolled her eyes.

"Gee, ya think? Where is it coming from?"

"Why are you asking me?"

"You're the one who's supposed to know, that's your job remember, so where is it?"

"Hey I do other things, I don't see you sprouting wings any time soon! You think it's easy transforming into a huge animal?"

"Kero that is not the point, just do as you're told and find the target."

"No. Not until you admit that I'm more than some little specter detector."

"Do you have any idea how long it's going to take to search this place? It could get away!" Sakura all but screeched.

"Calm down Sakura," Kero said with cheeky smile. "I was only kidding." His partner shot him a look telling just how funny she found it. Kero sighed in defeat at her sense of humor and closed his eyes. Though she couldn't see it, Sakura felt his aura reaching out into the building and counted down in her mind as she watched him. 5…4…3…2…

"Got it!" Kero announced with a dramatic pose before flying off into the darkness. Sakura smirked to herself as she followed him, so far this mission had proven to be very predictable. Some people might find that to be a drag, but it was something she rarely got and she savored it.

Kero led her to the back of the building and up nine flights of stairs before they finally reached the roof, or rather what there was of it. The black fog swirled across the support beams in thick torrents, looking very much like a coiled snake. The only clear spot was a large circle in the center of the room, and in that circle sat a very upset young man. From her spot at the stairwell, Sakura looked him over and took in his state. His clothes were ripped, showing red welts that had clearly been self-inflicted and he was rocking slowly, chanting as he swayed. This wasn't a good sign, he was a mess and definitely too far-gone if he'd already started hurting himself. Even with that in mind she had to ask, just in case. Her voice came out softly as she spoke.

"Kero, can we save him?" Sakura didn't know why she asked, she knew the truth. Still, she couldn't help but try, even if it was in vain.

"Look at him Sakura. You know he's beyond our help, they always are. Once the Madness takes over all we can do is make sure they don't hurt others, nothing more."

Sakura nodded, he was right. Taking a deep breath, she pulled her bag off her shoulder and pulled out her small bird-like wand. Enough talk, it was time to act. Reciting the incantation she knew by heart, Sakura watched as the small toy grew and stretched itself into her well-used weapon of choice: her scythe. This was her duty; this was why she had joined C.L.O.W. Grabbing the long pink staff, she pointed its' blade menacingly at her target.

"Kenta Minata, you have been corrupted by Madness. For your own good and the good of everyone around you, I must eliminate you. Rest In Peace."

---

A/N: Like the idea but have no clue what's happening? Want to get some answers? Want me to update? Then Review! Review! Review! As far as I'm concerned, this chapter is a trial run and I need your input to know if it's worth it to keep going!


	2. Chapter 2: The worst way to start a day

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the Kero plushy in my room as much as I wish it otherwise.... Oh and Alphonse Damon, he's mine too!

**Chapter 2**** The Worst Way to Start A Day**

Name: Kinomoto, Sakura.

Age: 19

Hair color: Brown

Eye color: Green

Blood Type: B

Alias: The Pink Reaper

Class: **S**

Specialized Power Types: 2

Profession: Active member of C.L.O.W. Special Ops. Field unit

Registered District: Tokyo, Japan

Restrictions: None (free to aid other districts as needed)

Weapon: Long arm- scythe technician. Pink Phoenix blade capable of three different sizes as well as magical manipulation.

Partner: Cerberus the Guardian Beast, aka "Kero."

A pair of blue-grey eyes stared down at this information with mild interest. It was nothing unusual, most of the C.L.O.W. operatives had similar files strewn across many offices worldwide. Though this "file" was more of his footnotes version of the actual file (which had been 20 pages too long if he was able to get down all the important information on one page). In fact, as far as he was concerned, the only things that separated this agent from any other were her class and her job. There were many members of their organization, but few were strong enough to be given an **S** class and even fewer in that class who remained as field agents. He usually hated inspection days but he had never seen an **S** class in action before and, all things considered, Alphonse Damon expected to be impressed. However looking down at the young girl below him, he couldn't help but feel a little bit of apprehension. Was this girl really one of their elite? She looked so frail and above all she looked _innocent_, a quality rarely seen in her line of work. This couldn't be right, someone had made a mistake.

"You're sure she can handle this Yue?" He asked cautiously. Damon knew hesitation was written all over his features, but he did nothing to hide it. They were far above the impending fight and no one without some sort of magic would notice the two figures on the roof of the next building over from the construction site, he considered them alone. The platinum blonde man beside him laughed at the comment. Behind him, a pair of white wings stretched out languidly and shook with him as he laughed before pulling back in close to his body.

"Don't let her appearance fool you Alphonse. Sakura is one of our best for a reason, she's not as gentle as she looks."

"If you're sure." Replied the inspector. He returned his gaze to the scene below them and watched carefully. It had taken weeks to track down the man beneath them and he had been left to the Madness for sometime now. So far she had handled the job at a satisfactory level, but he stayed suspicious. If she could handle this easily, he would believe in Yue's confidence in her. A kind voice next to him broke Damon's train of thought.

"You seem worried."

"Don't act so surprised, I do have emotions you know."

"If you're sure." Yue's comment earned him a glare from his colleague.

"I'm the one who should be surprised here, you're so damn stoic all the time in staff meetings I barely recognize you when you smile. What's more I finally see you relax and one of your agents is putting her life on the line; it's fucked up is what it is."

"She won't die, so I don't need to worry." Said the winged man calmly. Damon shook his head in defeat and returned his attention to the pending fight below them. Sometimes he hated Yue's confidence, it turned him into such a smart ass.

---

Sakura watched as the as the disheveled figure before her began to twitch and spasm frantically. She took a fighting stance with her blade in both hands and waited for it to strike. With a series of distressed moans, the thing that had once been Kenta Minata stood up with his back to her and immediately fell backwards onto the ground. The groans stopped and it became completely still. Sakura remained in her stance, but her face faltered. _What the hell?_ Usually her opponent would just attack without hesitation. All this groaning and flopping about was completely new and she wasn't sure what to do with it. _Well I can't just stand here and do nothing._ Sakura shook herself from her musings and slowly advanced towards her target. She was less than four feet from him when he raised his legs into the air and spread them far apart before planting his feet on the ground. Sakura stilled as he pushed his torso high into the air, forcing his shoulders together and pressing them into the dirty cement. His head lolled back towards her and their eyes locked. Sakura felt a chill go down her spine at the emptiness in his eyes. Kenta stared at her for what may have been the longest four seconds of her life before a sick grin twisted across his lips. Low, raspy giggles slid from the now shaking body, eyes still locked on her.

"**Ooh look what came to play with me, a little cat. Here kitty, kitty."**

Sakura stared dumbly at the man before her. Did it just talk? No one infected with the Madness could talk. It wasn't possible; the darkness drained everything and only left the host as a hollow shell. If this man could still talk, then he wasn't a man at all. _This isn't a Shell, it's an actual demon!_ In her stupor, Sakura took a step back, letting her stance drop. The twisted form let out a shriek and pointed at her with a gnarled hand. On his command, a thick length of black fog hardened and lashed out at the musing agent, catching her in the side and sweeping her off the roof. For her part, Sakura had only just registered the pain in her ribs before the world turned upside down, and down, and -_holy crap that is a long way down!_ With a startled scream, she stuck out her scythe and caught its blade on the edge of the roof to keep from plummeting. She pulled herself back up and looked around for a target she could no longer see thanks to all the fog, when Kero's voice came down to her from one of the hundreds of unused metal beams stacked all over the roof.

"Hey Sakura, maybe you should pay more attention hm?"

"Gee thanks, I'd nearly forgotten." She spat sarcastically, seriously considering taking back her mental promise of sweets from that morning.

"Glad to help." Kero chirped back happily. Sakura's next comment about useless partners was cut short by a raspy shriek from her left. Sakura dove forward blindly as another tendril swept past, hoping she didn't hit anything. She couldn't see a damn thing in this fog. Until Minata started using more of it, she was a sitting duck. Weighing her options, Sakura ran from wherever she was towards one of the closest visible metal piles, hoping to zigzag her way back to the middle. Another fit of giggles echoed around her as the fog began to shift.

"**C'mon kitty, don't run from me. I wanna play."**

This time Sakura was prepared as a strand of fog flew through the metal barrier, sending the pile flying off the roof. She watched calmly as the entire thing passed harmlessly through her body and prayed that mess didn't hit anybody when it landed.

"There ya go Sakura, I knew you'd do better if you focused." Kero's voice chirruped from directly above her head. His cheeks were puffed out from the bagel he was still working on in an approving smile. Sakura returned his grin with a critical glare.

"I guess you decided to come out of hiding. Should I feel honored?"

Kero blushed lightly as he swallowed his food. "I wasn't hiding, I was just assessing the situation from a safe distance. Besides, my spot just went airborne thanks to you."

"I almost got thrown off the roof and you're upset about losing a hiding spot?" Sakura seethed. The stupid bear was treading on thin ice with those comments if he still wanted those sweets. True, she never actually _told_ him she had been planning on buying him candy, but that was beside the point. "Just tell me where the hell Kenta is." She growled sourly. It was defiantly way too early for this crap.

"Right behind you."

"Wha-?!" was all she could manage before a hard strike to the back and sent her flailing towards the edge of the roof again. More by luck than anything, the frantically waving blade of her weapon caught on the retreating strand and sunk in, pulling her sharply backwards. In a vain attempt to ground herself, Sakura reached out towards her partner and grabbed the end of his tail. Why she thought it would help, she'd never know.

* * *

For Kero, a catalyst had been set in motion as Sakura disappeared from his side and a sharp tug on his rear caused his grip to loosen in surprise. _My bagel…_ Time slowed and he could only watch in horror as his delicious breakfast dropped to the ground, and began to roll_. My bagel…_ The fact that he was still speeding through the air, and a very angry female voice was yelling at him to wake the hell up, was lost to him as he watched it tumble away slowly and teeter on the edge before disappearing completely. _M-my bagel…_ Rage.

* * *

Sakura had given up on yelling at the unresponsive bear and struggled to concentrate on phasing her weapon through the dark hide it was stuck in, but it was no use. Her powers were unstable little things at the best of times, and had a funny way of disobeying her when she _really_ needed them to behave. Control over the little buggers came with confidence and as she imagined how she must look, swinging back and forth as that damned creature tried to shake her off like a piece to tape that got stuck to his hand...somehow Sakura didn't feel so confident. Though she hated the very idea of it, Sakura considered letting go of her weapon. Her precious pink scythe that she had designed and crafted herself, pouring valuable time and effort into its very appearance, let alone it's existence. The masterpiece that she'd spent years adjusting and reforming into its current unparalleled perfection. The idea died faster than it had formed. If this battle meant she would have to give up her greatest creation then she'd gladly die first, thank you. _Time to re-evaluate my options_. Sakura thought, only to remember that there were no other options. _Oh, right. _With a sigh she resigned herself to hang there and swing until she was released when a deafening roar split the air into tiny confused zephyrs that hung in place, unsure of what had just happened.

Sakura traced the sound back to her partner who was now burning with a furious fire. Literally, he was on fire. Sakura squeaked in surprise and immediately let go of his tail and watched as he flew off to the ledge and came back around. In a flash of embers and yellow fur Kero had turned himself into a mini cannon ball and broke through the tendril that Sakura was lodged to. She landed on her feet and began to work her weapon free of the limb as it slowly began to vaporize back into fog. A victorious smile spread across her face when the blade finally slid free and she turned back to help Kero. It was early, she was tired, and a quick glance at her watch told her that this fight had gone on way to long. It was time to end this.

The fire that surrounded Kero's body as he tore his was back to the center of the roof served as a guide for Sakura to follow. Kero ripped through every strand that came his way, as he made his way to the poor bastard that would suffer his wrath. Sakura wasn't sure what had riled Kero up but as long as he was willing to take care of things until they reached Kenta, she couldn't say she cared. When he was finally in sight Sakura tried to order the mini cannon to cease fire, but it was no use. Kero had already dove for the corpse-like body and latched onto its neck with his small fangs. _Eww, sick._ That body looked like it was starting to decay; no one in their right mind would put their mouth on that. Then again Kero clearly wasn't in his right mind, nor was he a person so he didn't really count to begin with. _Still that's totally nasty. _Sakura decided not to touch him until he had a bath. With nothing else to do, Sakura just watched her partner gnaw at the target and wait for an opening.

---

Alphonse watched the fight in a mixture of awe and anxiety. He had never been a fighter and it never failed to amaze to see kids nearly half his age go head to head with such creatures. This Sakura-girl was certainly resilient. She was being knocked all over the place and she didn't even look tired. Christ where did she get all that energy? He barely got up the energy to jog every morning. It must be her magic.

"I told you she'd be fine, worrying is a waste of energy with the **S** class."

Alphonse turned to see Yue staring at him with that stupid all-knowing smile he so rarely wore. _Goddamn smart ass! One of these days I swear I'm gonna…_ Alphonse's mind drifted off to images of suitable punishments that were rather disappointing for such a strong start, but that's what you get with a pencil pusher. He was brought out of his deadly (or so he thought) musings when Yue's face turned serious and his wings began to twitch. "Something wrong?" He asked. Yue glanced back down at the girl below them and his wings twitched again.

"This is taking far too long, perhaps I should intervene?"

Damon checked his watch before looking back at his evidently crazy friend. "It's been fifteen minutes."

"Exactly," Yue said in a clipped tone. "This should have been over and done with long ago, I was hoping she wouldn't disappoint on her evaluation day. Sakura is one of our best and can be extremely efficient, but she is inconsistent. Times like this make it easy to doubt her skill." He paused and seemed to collect his thoughts before taking a deep breath. "I'm sorry to have to ask this Alphonse, but don't be to hard on her in your report. It would be damaging to the sector if she were reassigned." The request hung in silence for a moment as Damon processed what his friend had said. After carefully deciding on an appropriate response, he decided voice it.

"Yue, you are insane."

---

It was early. Too early. Sakura was tired. VERY tired. And now Kero was grossing her out in the worst way. Enough was enough, this shit ended RIGHT NOW. Ignoring her revulsion, Sakura reached forward and grabbed her little partner around his stomach. With a sharp yank she pulled him off the Kenta-demon and tossed him over her shoulder, out of the way. In one swift movement she drew her blade across his neck and separated the head from the body. The body immediately started to turn black and melt until there was nothing left but black ash. However, the head let out a hoarse laugh as it rolled across the ground.

"**You and me are not that different kitten. Everyone's a little bit crazy, and the power is worth every minute of it. You'll be just like me soon kitty-cat, all of you. Just you wait."**

The head laughed once more before it too melted into black ash. Sakura stared blankly at the pile of dust, her energy draining away into confusion and dread. She could only hope that wasn't as much of a warning as it had sounded.

"If your trying to sweep it away with your mind I think a broom would be much faster." A voice rang near her ear. Sakura turned sharply to see her superior standing behind her.

"Yue!" She shrieked and stumbled a few steps away from him. "W-what are you doing here?" Yue's eyebrow lifted at her stammering. What on earth was she so flustered about? Sometimes that girl was so strange.

"We are here to evaluate your performance Sakura."

"Umm…_We_?" She asked, tilting her head to the side. Her brain chose that moment to register the man standing at Yue's side and looking extremely unhappy. _Is that the inspector? He must not be a morning person either._ Remembering her manners, Sakura bowed respectfully. "Hello sir."

What she didn't know was that Alphonse was still livid over the embarrassment of being picked up and carried like a girl (sure Yue could fly while he couldn't but why did it have to be THAT way? And he certainly could have asked first!). In fact he was so livid that he nearly missed the fact that someone was talking to him.

"…Hmm? Oh yes, hello Sakura. It's nice to finally meet you, I've heard much about you over the past three years."

Sakura blanched at the statement. Three YEARS! Oh god if he's been hearing about her for that long how on earth was she supposed to live up to her reputation. What kind of a reputation did she even have, for that matter? What if—

"Sakura, are you going to answer the question or just stare at Mr. Damon all morning?" Yue's curt tone cut into her panicked thoughts like a razor and brought her abruptly back to reality. She blinked and looked back at the inspector kindly.

"I'm sorry what was the question again?"

"I asked if you would like to return to the office to talk. I'm not sure about you but I find the winter morning winds to be quite unpleasant."

Sakura watched as he unsuccessfully tried to cover a shiver and smiled. She liked this man, he seemed nice. With a nod she turned to search for her partner only to see him kneeling over the edge of the roof, staring dismally at the ground.

"Kero what are you doing? It's time to go."

Hearing her voice he turned and looked at her, eyes filled with unshed tears. "S-sakuraaaaaaaa!" He wailed before rushing to her side. Kero flopped dramatically on top of her head and started to sob with an anguished fervor into her hair.

"T-that gross thing took my bagel and threw it off the roof, a-and I wasn't done! I want justice."

Sakura sighed and looked up at the swishing tail in front of her face. "The guy's _dead _Kero what more do you want?" With a feathery flourish Kero pointed to the spot where his precious food had disappeared.

"Get it Back!" He whined loudly. A groan escaped Sakura's lips as she looked from the grouchy teddy bear to the amused faces of her boss and the inspector. It really was too early for all this, what a long morning.

* * *

**A/N** I LIVE and return to you all with a nice 10 page chapter!! Yes after much debating, lots of story tweaking, multiple interruptions from reality and a couple other things I could bother you all with (but won't) I have officially decided to continue this story. I know that I haven't updated in seven months and am very _very_ sorry but at least it happened at all right? That HAS to count for something. Also, I'm pretty much guessing on Sakura's Blood type so If anyone actually knows please tell me. I proof-read this thing at like midnight so if there are mistakes please alert me of that as well. While I'm at it here's a question for everyone. How come in DocX and in Word it says I have over 4,000 words in this chapter but in the story upload it says I only have 3,800? Just curious.

Now that my vague explanation and odd requests are out of the way I have some people to thank:

**Mahoneybun, Princess-Christina-Ark,** and **Chilo!** These three were the ones who reviewed the first chapter and have undoubtedly been waiting the longest (especially Mahoneybun) for this update. Thank you so much for the reviews and your patience, it's one of the few things that kept me on this chapter. I hope the chapter was at least somewhat worth the wait. Not a lot of explanation in this one, but we're getting there.

I can't give anyone a date for the third chapter but I promise it wont take seven months this time. Former-scout's honor!

In the mean time I _beg _you all to **review**, it's the best kind of inspiration there is!!!!

Happy New Year everyone!

-Nyx


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